Editing Congress Hall (section)

== After the Capital Moved ==

When the federal government relocated to Washington, D.C., in November 1800, Congress Hall reverted to use by Philadelphia County. The building served various governmental functions throughout the 19th century, including as a courthouse and administrative offices. Like many historic buildings, it suffered from neglect and unsympathetic modifications that altered its original character. By the late 19th century, the building's historical significance was recognized, and efforts began to preserve and restore it. The creation of Independence National Historical Park in 1948 secured Congress Hall's future as a protected historic site.<ref name="nps"/>

Restoration of Congress Hall to its 1790s appearance was completed in time for the American Bicentennial in 1976. The project involved removing later additions, reconstructing missing architectural elements, and furnishing the chambers with appropriate reproductions. The Senate chamber restoration benefited from detailed descriptions in period documents and from comparison with other Federal-era public buildings. The House chamber proved more challenging, as fewer records of its appearance survived, but researchers assembled sufficient evidence to create a convincing reconstruction. Today, Congress Hall appears much as it did when the early republic's most consequential legislation was debated and passed within its walls.<ref name="gallery">{{cite book |last=Gallery |first=John Andrew |title=Philadelphia Architecture: A Guide to the City |year=1994 |publisher=Foundation for Architecture |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>